R. Blizard - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by R. Blizard

Research paper thumbnail of The nature and correlates of paid and unpaid work among service users of London Community Mental Health Teams

Epidemiology and psychiatric sciences, 2013

Aims. Little is known about how the rates and characteristics of mental health service users in u... more Aims. Little is known about how the rates and characteristics of mental health service users in unpaid work, training and study compare with those in paid employment. Methods. From staff report and patient records, 1353 mental health service users of seven Community Mental Health Teams in two London boroughs were categorized as in paid work, unpaid vocational activity or no vocational activity. Types of work were described using Standard Occupational Classifications. The characteristics of each group were reported and associations with vocational status were explored. Results. Of the sample, 5.5% were in paid work and 12.7% were in unpaid vocational activity, (including 5.3% in voluntary work and 8.1% in study or training). People in paid work were engaged in a broader range of occupations than those in voluntary work and most in paid work (58.5%) worked part-time. Younger age and high educational attainment characterized both groups. Having sustained previous employment was most st...

Research paper thumbnail of Probation and mental illness

Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology, 2012

Levels of mental illness amongst prisoners are high, but little is known about the situation of t... more Levels of mental illness amongst prisoners are high, but little is known about the situation of those serving community sentences. More information is needed at a time when the UK Department of Health is seeking to improve mental health service access for all offenders. To estimate the prevalence of both current and lifetime mental illness, an epidemiological survey was conducted on individuals under probation supervision in Lincolnshire, England. Assessment included the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Inventory and other ...

Research paper thumbnail of Older adults' attitudes to death, palliative treatment and hospice care

Palliative Medicine, 2005

Background: Cancer patients who receive care from specialist palliative care services in the UK a... more Background: Cancer patients who receive care from specialist palliative care services in the UK are younger than those who do not receive this care. This may be explained by agerelated differences in attitudes to end-of-life care. Objective: To determine the relationship between age and i) attitudes to death and preparation for death; and ii) knowledge about, and attitudes to, cancer and palliative care. Design: Interviews with older people, using a novel questionnaire developed using nominal groups. Main comparisons were made between people aged 55-74 with those aged 75 years and over. Setting: General practices in London. Subjects: 129 people aged 55-74 and 127 people aged 75 years or over on the lists of general practitioners. Methods: A cross-sectional survey to determine knowledge and experience of hospice care; preparation for end-of-life; and attitudes to end-of-life issues. Results: Participants were knowledgeable about specialist palliative care and almost half had some ind...

Research paper thumbnail of The development of a CBT manual for common mental disorders in people with ID

Research paper thumbnail of Outcome of Psychiatric Admission Through the Courts

Research paper thumbnail of Assessing dentists’ knowledge and experience in restoring endodontically treated teeth using post & cores

Journal of Dentistry, 2021

OBJECTIVES The restoration of endodontically, heavily filled teeth has been a challenge for the d... more OBJECTIVES The restoration of endodontically, heavily filled teeth has been a challenge for the dental profession for decades. The aims of this study were to investigate dentists' experience and knowledge in the use of post & core when restoring endodontically treated teeth. METHOD This was a mixed method study incorporating quantitative and qualitative data collection. An online questionnaire was developed and distributed, comprised of 18 questions. It was calculated that 93 respondents were needed to validate the study of which 60% should meet a minimum knowledge requirement. RESULTS 173 respondents completed the questionnaire. 109 (63% (95%CI56%,70%) demonstrated proficient knowledge of post & core restorations. Recent graduates were more likely to follow current guidelines (F=4.570: P<0.034). As the age of the respondent increases the number of posts placed (F=18.85; p<0.001) and the perceived confidence level increases (Spearman's Rho 0.43: P<0.01). Experience of postgraduate education also positively influenced clinical confidence. CONCLUSION The placement of post & cores is influenced by age. Confidence is also influenced by age. More evidence on post usage is required and several questions remain to be answered on what drives decision making and perceived long-term success. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE There is a general acceptance of when a post and core restoration should be used. Clinician experience and age can have an impact on what type of restorations are used. Fibre posts are more commonly used due their accessibility and cost.

Research paper thumbnail of Autism genes are selectively targeted by environmental pollutants including pesticides, heavy metals, bisphenol A, phthalates and many others in food, cosmetics or household products

Neurochemistry International, 2016

The increasing incidence of autism suggests a major environmental influence. Epidemiology has imp... more The increasing incidence of autism suggests a major environmental influence. Epidemiology has implicated many candidates and genetics many susceptibility genes. Gene/environment interactions in autism were analysed using 206 autism susceptibility genes (ASG's) from the Autworks database to interrogate ~1 million chemical/gene interactions in the comparative toxicogenomics database. Any bias towards ASG's was statistically determined for each chemical. Many suspect compounds identified in epidemiology, including tetrachlorodibenzodioxin, pesticides, particulate matter, benzo(a)pyrene , heavy metals, valproate, acetaminophen, SSRI's, cocaine, bisphenol A, phthalates, polyhalogenated biphenyls, flame retardants, diesel constituents , terbutaline and oxytocin, inter alia showed a significant degree of bias towards ASG's, as did relevant endogenous agents (retinoids, sex steroids, thyroxine, melatonin, folate, dopamine, serotonin). Numerous other suspected endocrine disruptors (over 100) selectively targeted ASG's including paraquat, atrazine and other pesticides not yet studied in autism and many compounds used in food, cosmetics or household products, including tretinoin, soy phytoestrogens , aspartame, titanium dioxide and sodium fluoride. Autism polymorphisms influence the sensitivity to some of these chemicals and these same genes play an important role in barrier function and control of respiratory cilia sweeping particulate matter from the airways. Pesticides, heavy metals and pollutants also disrupt barrier and/or ciliary function, which is regulated by sex steroids and by bitter/sweet taste receptors. Further epidemiological studies and neurodevelopmental and behavioural research is warranted to determine the relevance of large number of suspect candidates whose addition to the environment, household, food and cosmetics might be fuelling the autism epidemic in a gene-dependent manner.

Research paper thumbnail of Randomised evaluation of assertive community treatment: 3-year outcomes

The British Journal of Psychiatry, 2009

SummaryThe only randomised controlled trial to test high-fidelity assertive community treatment (... more SummaryThe only randomised controlled trial to test high-fidelity assertive community treatment (ACT) in the UK (the Randomised Evaluation of Assertive Community Treatment (REACT) study) found no advantage over usual care from community mental health teams in reducing the need for inpatient care and in other clinical outcomes, but participants found ACT more acceptable and engaged better with it. One possible reason for the lack of efficacy of ACT might be the short period of follow-up (18 months in the REACT study). This paper reports on participants' service contact, in-patient service use and adverse events 36 months after randomisation.

Research paper thumbnail of An investigation of general dental practitioners' understanding and perceptions of minimally invasive dentistry

British Dental Journal

Objectives-This study investigated General Dental Practitioners' (GDPs) understanding and percept... more Objectives-This study investigated General Dental Practitioners' (GDPs) understanding and perceptions of Minimally Invasive Dentistry (MID) with a questionnaire based survey looking at GDPs currently practicing in the UK. Methods-Questionnaires were distributed to 170 GDPs. The questionnaire enquired about their: demographic details, postgraduate training in MID, number of years in clinical practice, working environment, perceptions of the methods and rationale for choice of restorative materials in clinical practice, and knowledge of MID. 2 Results-87.6% (n=149) questionnaires were completed and returned. The results showed that only 28% of the participants responded to all the basic MID knowledge questions correctly, illustrating a general lack of basic contemporary understanding of MID amongst the GDPs. Logistic regression analysis of the data revealed a true correlation between knowledge of MID and the perception of knowing the subject. The analysis also showed that there was a statistically significant association between the respondents' knowledge of MID, application of GV Black's concepts and changes in MID approach since qualification, (p <0.05). There were no significant relationships between the knowledge score on studied scenarios and country of education, working environment, caries risk assessment, effect of caries risk assessment on treatment planning, effect of caries risk assessment on choice of restorative material, dietary assessment or fluoride usage. Conclusions-This study demonstrated that knowledge of MID amongst the cohort of UK GDPs in this study was generally poor. There is a need for further education in the field of MID.

Research paper thumbnail of The Influence of Varying Gingival Display of Maxillary Anterior Teeth on the Perceptions of Smile Aesthetics

Research paper thumbnail of Depression in Irish migrants living in London: case-control study

The British Journal of …, Jan 1, 2006

Research paper thumbnail of Autism genes are selectively targeted by environmental pollutants including pesticides, heavy metals, bisphenol A, phthalates and many others in food, cosmetics or household products

The increasing incidence of autism suggests a major environmental influence. Epidemiology has imp... more The increasing incidence of autism suggests a major environmental influence. Epidemiology has implicated many candidates and genetics many susceptibility genes. Gene/environment interactions in autism were analysed using 206 autism susceptibility genes (ASG's) from the Autworks database to interrogate ∼1 million chemical/gene interactions in the comparative toxicogenomics database. Any bias towards ASG's was statistically determined for each chemical. Many suspect compounds identified in epidemiology, including tetrachlorodibenzodioxin, pesticides, particulate matter, benzo(a)pyrene, heavy metals, valproate, acetaminophen, SSRI's, cocaine, bisphenol A, phthalates, polyhalogenated biphenyls, flame retardants, diesel constituents, terbutaline and oxytocin, inter alia showed a significant degree of bias towards ASG's, as did relevant endogenous agents (retinoids, sex steroids, thyroxine, melatonin, folate, dopamine, serotonin). Numerous other suspected endocrine disruptors (over 100) selectively targeted ASG's including paraquat, atrazine and other pesticides not yet studied in autism and many compounds used in food, cosmetics or household products, including tretinoin, soy phytoestrogens, aspartame, titanium dioxide and sodium fluoride. Autism polymorphisms influence the sensitivity to some of these chemicals and these same genes play an important role in barrier function and control of respiratory cilia sweeping particulate matter from the airways. Pesticides, heavy metals and pollutants also disrupt barrier and/or ciliary function, which is regulated by sex steroids and by bitter/sweet taste receptors. Further epidemiological studies and neurodevelopmental and behavioural research is warranted to determine the relevance of large number of suspect candidates whose addition to the environment, household, food and cosmetics might be fuelling the autism epidemic in a gene-dependent manner.

Research paper thumbnail of Quality assurance of outcome in mental health care: a model for routine use in clinical settings

Health trends, 1988

A problem-oriented method of quality assurance of clinical outcome was used in 1,384 patients who... more A problem-oriented method of quality assurance of clinical outcome was used in 1,384 patients who were assessed and treated over 8 years by 41 nurse therapist trainees. The clinical audit suggested that for most diagnoses patients' improvement after treatment was usually satisfactory. Though the system was developed to monitor the progress of patients with anxiety, sexual and habit disorders having behavioural psychotherapy, it could also be applied to other disorders like depression and to other treatments. The method is simple enough for routine use, and computerisation would put it within the grasp of most clinics and training programs for all mental health care professionals.

Research paper thumbnail of General practitioners and psychiatrists: comparison of attitudes to depression using the depression attitude questionnaire

The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 1995

Variation in the management of depression may be linked to doctors' attitudes to depression. ... more Variation in the management of depression may be linked to doctors' attitudes to depression. A study was undertaken comparing the attitudes to depression between general practitioners and psychiatrists. A sample of 74 general practitioners and 65 psychiatrists in Wales was surveyed by postal questionnaire. Attitudes were assessed by the depression attitude questionnaire and patient management was assessed by a questionnaire on prescribing practice. General practitioners differed significantly from psychiatrists in attitudes, particularly in areas covering professional ease in dealing with patients with depression and identification of depression. Those general practitioners who reported use of low antidepressant doses were significantly more likely than general practitioners prescribing standard doses to believe in psychotherapeutic treatments. Users of short-term continuation therapy expressed a lack of therapeutic optimism and comfort in dealing with depressed patients. Genera...

Research paper thumbnail of 25 Differenciation between the anti-allergic and anti-histaminic effects of loratadine (L) and astemizole (A) by skin tests

Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 1988

Research paper thumbnail of Extinction Failure in Classical Conditioning as a Mechanism of Psychosomatic Illness

Biological Psychiatry, Higher Nervous Activity, 1985

Research paper thumbnail of How to appraise an article on diagnosis

Psychiatric Bulletin, 1998

In our evidence-based journal club we appraised an article investigating the use of the CAGE ques... more In our evidence-based journal club we appraised an article investigating the use of the CAGE questions in screening psychiatric populations for alcohol misuse. We calculated a likelihood ratio of four for a score of two or more positive CAGE questions, suggesting the CAGE is a moderately useful screening instrument.

Research paper thumbnail of How to appraise an article on therapy

Psychiatric Bulletin, 1998

Research paper thumbnail of Interactions of strain of male and female on the mating behavior of the rat

Behavioral and neural biology, 1979

Copulatory behavior of male and female rats from eight genetically distinct strains was studied. ... more Copulatory behavior of male and female rats from eight genetically distinct strains was studied. The design allowed for a separation of male, female, and interactive genotypic effects. The pattern of genetic variation varied according to the particular combination of genotypes used. Large differences in body weight and genetic origins resulted in substantial interactive effects; conversely, the copulation of animals from similar backgrounds and of similar size was determined chiefly by the male genotype.

Research paper thumbnail of Personality disorder in a probation cohort: Demographic, substance misuse and forensic characteristics

Criminal behaviour and mental health : CBMH, Jan 18, 2014

The occurrence of personality disorder among community supervised offenders may have important im... more The occurrence of personality disorder among community supervised offenders may have important implications for their management. There is, however, a dearth of contextual information on personality disorder in such populations. This study aimed to identify demographic, substance use and forensic features that distinguish community-sentenced offenders with personality disorder from those without. One hundred and seventy-three offenders under community supervision were screened for personality disorder using the Standardised Assessment of Personality - Abbreviated Scale. Alcohol and drug misuse, demographic and forensic data were also recorded. Nearly half of the sample (82, 47%) had probable personality disorder. Compared with those without personality disorder, they were younger, more likely to be unemployed, less likely to be divorced, more likely to have been convicted of robbery and more likely to be alcohol or illicit drug misusers, as well as under drug rehabilitation requirem...

Research paper thumbnail of The nature and correlates of paid and unpaid work among service users of London Community Mental Health Teams

Epidemiology and psychiatric sciences, 2013

Aims. Little is known about how the rates and characteristics of mental health service users in u... more Aims. Little is known about how the rates and characteristics of mental health service users in unpaid work, training and study compare with those in paid employment. Methods. From staff report and patient records, 1353 mental health service users of seven Community Mental Health Teams in two London boroughs were categorized as in paid work, unpaid vocational activity or no vocational activity. Types of work were described using Standard Occupational Classifications. The characteristics of each group were reported and associations with vocational status were explored. Results. Of the sample, 5.5% were in paid work and 12.7% were in unpaid vocational activity, (including 5.3% in voluntary work and 8.1% in study or training). People in paid work were engaged in a broader range of occupations than those in voluntary work and most in paid work (58.5%) worked part-time. Younger age and high educational attainment characterized both groups. Having sustained previous employment was most st...

Research paper thumbnail of Probation and mental illness

Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology, 2012

Levels of mental illness amongst prisoners are high, but little is known about the situation of t... more Levels of mental illness amongst prisoners are high, but little is known about the situation of those serving community sentences. More information is needed at a time when the UK Department of Health is seeking to improve mental health service access for all offenders. To estimate the prevalence of both current and lifetime mental illness, an epidemiological survey was conducted on individuals under probation supervision in Lincolnshire, England. Assessment included the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Inventory and other ...

Research paper thumbnail of Older adults' attitudes to death, palliative treatment and hospice care

Palliative Medicine, 2005

Background: Cancer patients who receive care from specialist palliative care services in the UK a... more Background: Cancer patients who receive care from specialist palliative care services in the UK are younger than those who do not receive this care. This may be explained by agerelated differences in attitudes to end-of-life care. Objective: To determine the relationship between age and i) attitudes to death and preparation for death; and ii) knowledge about, and attitudes to, cancer and palliative care. Design: Interviews with older people, using a novel questionnaire developed using nominal groups. Main comparisons were made between people aged 55-74 with those aged 75 years and over. Setting: General practices in London. Subjects: 129 people aged 55-74 and 127 people aged 75 years or over on the lists of general practitioners. Methods: A cross-sectional survey to determine knowledge and experience of hospice care; preparation for end-of-life; and attitudes to end-of-life issues. Results: Participants were knowledgeable about specialist palliative care and almost half had some ind...

Research paper thumbnail of The development of a CBT manual for common mental disorders in people with ID

Research paper thumbnail of Outcome of Psychiatric Admission Through the Courts

Research paper thumbnail of Assessing dentists’ knowledge and experience in restoring endodontically treated teeth using post & cores

Journal of Dentistry, 2021

OBJECTIVES The restoration of endodontically, heavily filled teeth has been a challenge for the d... more OBJECTIVES The restoration of endodontically, heavily filled teeth has been a challenge for the dental profession for decades. The aims of this study were to investigate dentists' experience and knowledge in the use of post & core when restoring endodontically treated teeth. METHOD This was a mixed method study incorporating quantitative and qualitative data collection. An online questionnaire was developed and distributed, comprised of 18 questions. It was calculated that 93 respondents were needed to validate the study of which 60% should meet a minimum knowledge requirement. RESULTS 173 respondents completed the questionnaire. 109 (63% (95%CI56%,70%) demonstrated proficient knowledge of post & core restorations. Recent graduates were more likely to follow current guidelines (F=4.570: P<0.034). As the age of the respondent increases the number of posts placed (F=18.85; p<0.001) and the perceived confidence level increases (Spearman's Rho 0.43: P<0.01). Experience of postgraduate education also positively influenced clinical confidence. CONCLUSION The placement of post & cores is influenced by age. Confidence is also influenced by age. More evidence on post usage is required and several questions remain to be answered on what drives decision making and perceived long-term success. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE There is a general acceptance of when a post and core restoration should be used. Clinician experience and age can have an impact on what type of restorations are used. Fibre posts are more commonly used due their accessibility and cost.

Research paper thumbnail of Autism genes are selectively targeted by environmental pollutants including pesticides, heavy metals, bisphenol A, phthalates and many others in food, cosmetics or household products

Neurochemistry International, 2016

The increasing incidence of autism suggests a major environmental influence. Epidemiology has imp... more The increasing incidence of autism suggests a major environmental influence. Epidemiology has implicated many candidates and genetics many susceptibility genes. Gene/environment interactions in autism were analysed using 206 autism susceptibility genes (ASG's) from the Autworks database to interrogate ~1 million chemical/gene interactions in the comparative toxicogenomics database. Any bias towards ASG's was statistically determined for each chemical. Many suspect compounds identified in epidemiology, including tetrachlorodibenzodioxin, pesticides, particulate matter, benzo(a)pyrene , heavy metals, valproate, acetaminophen, SSRI's, cocaine, bisphenol A, phthalates, polyhalogenated biphenyls, flame retardants, diesel constituents , terbutaline and oxytocin, inter alia showed a significant degree of bias towards ASG's, as did relevant endogenous agents (retinoids, sex steroids, thyroxine, melatonin, folate, dopamine, serotonin). Numerous other suspected endocrine disruptors (over 100) selectively targeted ASG's including paraquat, atrazine and other pesticides not yet studied in autism and many compounds used in food, cosmetics or household products, including tretinoin, soy phytoestrogens , aspartame, titanium dioxide and sodium fluoride. Autism polymorphisms influence the sensitivity to some of these chemicals and these same genes play an important role in barrier function and control of respiratory cilia sweeping particulate matter from the airways. Pesticides, heavy metals and pollutants also disrupt barrier and/or ciliary function, which is regulated by sex steroids and by bitter/sweet taste receptors. Further epidemiological studies and neurodevelopmental and behavioural research is warranted to determine the relevance of large number of suspect candidates whose addition to the environment, household, food and cosmetics might be fuelling the autism epidemic in a gene-dependent manner.

Research paper thumbnail of Randomised evaluation of assertive community treatment: 3-year outcomes

The British Journal of Psychiatry, 2009

SummaryThe only randomised controlled trial to test high-fidelity assertive community treatment (... more SummaryThe only randomised controlled trial to test high-fidelity assertive community treatment (ACT) in the UK (the Randomised Evaluation of Assertive Community Treatment (REACT) study) found no advantage over usual care from community mental health teams in reducing the need for inpatient care and in other clinical outcomes, but participants found ACT more acceptable and engaged better with it. One possible reason for the lack of efficacy of ACT might be the short period of follow-up (18 months in the REACT study). This paper reports on participants' service contact, in-patient service use and adverse events 36 months after randomisation.

Research paper thumbnail of An investigation of general dental practitioners' understanding and perceptions of minimally invasive dentistry

British Dental Journal

Objectives-This study investigated General Dental Practitioners' (GDPs) understanding and percept... more Objectives-This study investigated General Dental Practitioners' (GDPs) understanding and perceptions of Minimally Invasive Dentistry (MID) with a questionnaire based survey looking at GDPs currently practicing in the UK. Methods-Questionnaires were distributed to 170 GDPs. The questionnaire enquired about their: demographic details, postgraduate training in MID, number of years in clinical practice, working environment, perceptions of the methods and rationale for choice of restorative materials in clinical practice, and knowledge of MID. 2 Results-87.6% (n=149) questionnaires were completed and returned. The results showed that only 28% of the participants responded to all the basic MID knowledge questions correctly, illustrating a general lack of basic contemporary understanding of MID amongst the GDPs. Logistic regression analysis of the data revealed a true correlation between knowledge of MID and the perception of knowing the subject. The analysis also showed that there was a statistically significant association between the respondents' knowledge of MID, application of GV Black's concepts and changes in MID approach since qualification, (p <0.05). There were no significant relationships between the knowledge score on studied scenarios and country of education, working environment, caries risk assessment, effect of caries risk assessment on treatment planning, effect of caries risk assessment on choice of restorative material, dietary assessment or fluoride usage. Conclusions-This study demonstrated that knowledge of MID amongst the cohort of UK GDPs in this study was generally poor. There is a need for further education in the field of MID.

Research paper thumbnail of The Influence of Varying Gingival Display of Maxillary Anterior Teeth on the Perceptions of Smile Aesthetics

Research paper thumbnail of Depression in Irish migrants living in London: case-control study

The British Journal of …, Jan 1, 2006

Research paper thumbnail of Autism genes are selectively targeted by environmental pollutants including pesticides, heavy metals, bisphenol A, phthalates and many others in food, cosmetics or household products

The increasing incidence of autism suggests a major environmental influence. Epidemiology has imp... more The increasing incidence of autism suggests a major environmental influence. Epidemiology has implicated many candidates and genetics many susceptibility genes. Gene/environment interactions in autism were analysed using 206 autism susceptibility genes (ASG's) from the Autworks database to interrogate ∼1 million chemical/gene interactions in the comparative toxicogenomics database. Any bias towards ASG's was statistically determined for each chemical. Many suspect compounds identified in epidemiology, including tetrachlorodibenzodioxin, pesticides, particulate matter, benzo(a)pyrene, heavy metals, valproate, acetaminophen, SSRI's, cocaine, bisphenol A, phthalates, polyhalogenated biphenyls, flame retardants, diesel constituents, terbutaline and oxytocin, inter alia showed a significant degree of bias towards ASG's, as did relevant endogenous agents (retinoids, sex steroids, thyroxine, melatonin, folate, dopamine, serotonin). Numerous other suspected endocrine disruptors (over 100) selectively targeted ASG's including paraquat, atrazine and other pesticides not yet studied in autism and many compounds used in food, cosmetics or household products, including tretinoin, soy phytoestrogens, aspartame, titanium dioxide and sodium fluoride. Autism polymorphisms influence the sensitivity to some of these chemicals and these same genes play an important role in barrier function and control of respiratory cilia sweeping particulate matter from the airways. Pesticides, heavy metals and pollutants also disrupt barrier and/or ciliary function, which is regulated by sex steroids and by bitter/sweet taste receptors. Further epidemiological studies and neurodevelopmental and behavioural research is warranted to determine the relevance of large number of suspect candidates whose addition to the environment, household, food and cosmetics might be fuelling the autism epidemic in a gene-dependent manner.

Research paper thumbnail of Quality assurance of outcome in mental health care: a model for routine use in clinical settings

Health trends, 1988

A problem-oriented method of quality assurance of clinical outcome was used in 1,384 patients who... more A problem-oriented method of quality assurance of clinical outcome was used in 1,384 patients who were assessed and treated over 8 years by 41 nurse therapist trainees. The clinical audit suggested that for most diagnoses patients' improvement after treatment was usually satisfactory. Though the system was developed to monitor the progress of patients with anxiety, sexual and habit disorders having behavioural psychotherapy, it could also be applied to other disorders like depression and to other treatments. The method is simple enough for routine use, and computerisation would put it within the grasp of most clinics and training programs for all mental health care professionals.

Research paper thumbnail of General practitioners and psychiatrists: comparison of attitudes to depression using the depression attitude questionnaire

The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 1995

Variation in the management of depression may be linked to doctors' attitudes to depression. ... more Variation in the management of depression may be linked to doctors' attitudes to depression. A study was undertaken comparing the attitudes to depression between general practitioners and psychiatrists. A sample of 74 general practitioners and 65 psychiatrists in Wales was surveyed by postal questionnaire. Attitudes were assessed by the depression attitude questionnaire and patient management was assessed by a questionnaire on prescribing practice. General practitioners differed significantly from psychiatrists in attitudes, particularly in areas covering professional ease in dealing with patients with depression and identification of depression. Those general practitioners who reported use of low antidepressant doses were significantly more likely than general practitioners prescribing standard doses to believe in psychotherapeutic treatments. Users of short-term continuation therapy expressed a lack of therapeutic optimism and comfort in dealing with depressed patients. Genera...

Research paper thumbnail of 25 Differenciation between the anti-allergic and anti-histaminic effects of loratadine (L) and astemizole (A) by skin tests

Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 1988

Research paper thumbnail of Extinction Failure in Classical Conditioning as a Mechanism of Psychosomatic Illness

Biological Psychiatry, Higher Nervous Activity, 1985

Research paper thumbnail of How to appraise an article on diagnosis

Psychiatric Bulletin, 1998

In our evidence-based journal club we appraised an article investigating the use of the CAGE ques... more In our evidence-based journal club we appraised an article investigating the use of the CAGE questions in screening psychiatric populations for alcohol misuse. We calculated a likelihood ratio of four for a score of two or more positive CAGE questions, suggesting the CAGE is a moderately useful screening instrument.

Research paper thumbnail of How to appraise an article on therapy

Psychiatric Bulletin, 1998

Research paper thumbnail of Interactions of strain of male and female on the mating behavior of the rat

Behavioral and neural biology, 1979

Copulatory behavior of male and female rats from eight genetically distinct strains was studied. ... more Copulatory behavior of male and female rats from eight genetically distinct strains was studied. The design allowed for a separation of male, female, and interactive genotypic effects. The pattern of genetic variation varied according to the particular combination of genotypes used. Large differences in body weight and genetic origins resulted in substantial interactive effects; conversely, the copulation of animals from similar backgrounds and of similar size was determined chiefly by the male genotype.

Research paper thumbnail of Personality disorder in a probation cohort: Demographic, substance misuse and forensic characteristics

Criminal behaviour and mental health : CBMH, Jan 18, 2014

The occurrence of personality disorder among community supervised offenders may have important im... more The occurrence of personality disorder among community supervised offenders may have important implications for their management. There is, however, a dearth of contextual information on personality disorder in such populations. This study aimed to identify demographic, substance use and forensic features that distinguish community-sentenced offenders with personality disorder from those without. One hundred and seventy-three offenders under community supervision were screened for personality disorder using the Standardised Assessment of Personality - Abbreviated Scale. Alcohol and drug misuse, demographic and forensic data were also recorded. Nearly half of the sample (82, 47%) had probable personality disorder. Compared with those without personality disorder, they were younger, more likely to be unemployed, less likely to be divorced, more likely to have been convicted of robbery and more likely to be alcohol or illicit drug misusers, as well as under drug rehabilitation requirem...